We Can Have Forever
by Walking In Circles
Summary: When Sarah tries to destory the book, Jareth decides to take her. She believes its to keep her from harming the book, but Jareths intentions are not very clear.  Whats more, it seems the book has fallen into anothers possession...
1. Prologue

_Reviews are greatly appreciated._

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters featured in the movie 'Labyrinth'._

* * *

Prologue

The Labyrinth. It was a legend that had been passed down for hundreds of years and countless generations, always from one woman to another. Young Sarah Williams had obtained it from her mother, who had gotten it from her mother, and so on. There was a given rule that it pass from mother to daughter, but if the woman had no daughter, she could pass it on to another girl in the family, of her choice. So the direct line of passage was lost over time, but it was speculated that the story originated in Europe, perhaps in France or Austria, sometime in the Middle Ages, around the 1300's. Traditionally, the story was to be an oral one only, so as to keep its existence secret, but it was found that it didn't quite work out that way, as the tellers of the story kept forgetting a few parts. So it was tediously written down, and later printed in the 1600's. With the story came only three rules. One, the story was only to be passed from woman to woman. Two, the men of the family are to _never _know of its existence, and neither is any outsider. Three, the story must _never _be forgotten, or lost, or ignored

Sarah had a vague childhood memory of sitting in her beloved mother's lap, listening to her grandmother Jessie read the red-leather-bound book, then carefully explain the three rules. It was a more recent tradition, her mother had said, that the little girl first hear it from her grandmother, and her mother keep the book until the little girl was old enough to take care of it. And so it would be when Sarah became an adult and had a daughter of her own. Sarah was terribly excited for the day she turned eighteen, which was the day she was to receive the book from her mother.

But that was not to be. Sarah had another vague memory, which drifted in and out of her mind, like a song she only heard once, and could just slightly remember. It was of incident in the night, her mother being extremely angry and whispering something into the air… then music all around her, and the chiming of a clock… Sarah could barely remember that night, but the next day was as clear and shining in her mind as snow. Her mother was sobbing, and packing her things into suitcases, her father was confused, and couldn't say a word. Her mother shoved a shoe box into Sarah's arms as she walked out the door, and Sarah could only watch as her mother got into a black taxi that pulled up in front of the house. Her mother never looked back.

Opening the Nike shoe box, Sarah found, nestled in cotton balls and tissue, the red-leather-bound book her grandmother had read to her a few years ago. She cried, salty tears falling onto the gold lettering of the title, The Labyrinth. In her heart and in her head, she knew this was wrong, the book was not supposed to be hers yet, and her mother was supposed to still be here. But she was old enough to know that her mother wasn't going to come back, so she tucked the book away, and vowed to not touch it until she was eighteen.

Of course, she couldn't wait that long, and on her thirteenth birthday, when she got yet another check from her mother in the mail, without any card or note or anything saying "I still love you", Sarah looked for solace in the Labyrinth, and from that point on could never put it down. And the rest, as we say, is history.


	2. Chapter One: Revelations

Chapter One: Revelations

Sarah was twenty-five years old. She didn't have a family of her own; she hadn't even had a boyfriend in almost four years. She had no sister, nor any female cousins. And she couldn't stand to keep the book any longer, not after she learned the terrible secrets that came with it. She knew the rules of the book, and found she had already broken number two and number three, but she was going to make sure it passed to a female, no matter what.

It was a cold night in December when Sarah began contemplating ways of passing the book to someone else. Soon the television shows lost their definition, and her thoughts strayed back to her mother, who had, for some miraculous reason, began corresponding with Sarah in letters the previous year. A month or so ago, Sarah sent one that finally asked the question she had been burning to ask since she was fifteen. "I know this might sound ridiculous," she wrote, "but did the book ever… 'come to life' for you?" The next week her mother showed up at her apartment.

"_How old were you Sarah, when the book 'came to life' as you say? What happened?" Sarah had barely opened the door before her mother started talking. Quietly and quickly she sat down on the sofa while Sarah made coffee in the kitchen and answered her questions._

"_I was about fifteen, I think." Her mother gasped. "I was taking care of Toby one night when I got upset and said I wished the goblins would take him away. And…they actually did…" Now her mother was sobbing. "Mom…what's wrong? Was it something I said?"_

"_This is terrible, Sarah, absolutely awful." She sniffled a few times before continuing. "You weren't supposed to read the book again until you were eighteen, and learned the true nature of it, until you could decide for yourself whether you really wanted to read it again. But I… no one was there to tell you…I never should have given it to you. I'm so sorry." Sarah's mother dabbed her eyes repeatedly with tissues while Sarah tried to figure out what her mother was trying to tell her. _

"_Mom, I don't understand…"_

"_Sweetheart… As you already know, the book isn't just some story. It's real. Jareth is as real as you and I. Our family, us women at least, is… cursed with the knowledge of the Labyrinth's existence, and the existence of the other realms. But it doesn't just end there. Every woman in the family, beginning with the very first one who learned of the legend, is doomed to wish their child away, and venture through the Labyrinth to rescue her. When I was eighteen, and learned of that awful truth, I vowed that I would never wish my daughter away. But I did, and I was so disgusted with myself after it was over, that I couldn't bear to look at your beautiful face, with the knowledge of what I'd done."_

"_You mean… that night before you left, the one I can't remember… I was in the Labyrinth with Jareth?" Sarah sat in the chair across from her mom and handed her a cup of coffee._

"_Yes, darling. I'm afraid so."_

"_No wonder he seemed to know me so well," she mumbled to herself. "But, why were you disgusted with yourself? You rescued me, you refused Jareth…"_

"_I know I did…but it was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do. I spent so long thinking about his proposal…hours…days it felt like, but then I heard you say you loved me, and that you missed your daddy, and I told Jareth no, and recited the words. I was horrified with myself, for wishing you away in the first place when I vowed not to, and for taking so long to think about something the answer to which should have been an immediate 'no'. Not only are we doomed to wish our daughter away, but we are doomed to love Jareth, and face the decision in the end. It's his game you see, his only amusement. He does not truly feel anything for us; he only makes us fall in love, and then toys with our emotions. That is why the book is only given once the girl becomes a woman, because then she is better prepared to face the heartache an encounter with Jareth always brings. But you…were only a girl when you entered the Labyrinth… and young girls are more susceptible to that fantasy world… more likely to yield to a man who promises you your dreams…" Sarah's mother quieted and held her fur coat closer to her body, as if her memories were making her cold._

"_But what happens if the woman says 'yes' to his proposal? If he truly feels nothing for her, why would he…"_

"_Your grandmother Jessie said yes to him, but she was returned home. My father left us shortly afterward, and she fell into a depressed stupor for a long time…she never spoke of what happened to her, not even when she knew she was dying…" She grabbed a tissue and busied herself with wiping her running mascara. "Can I use your bathroom dear?"_

"_Of course mom. It's at the end of the hall."_

Sarah was extremely puzzled. If Jareth had really never felt anything for her, then why had he been haunting her for the last ten years? Every night she swore she saw him at her bedroom window, and everyday she thought she saw a white owl sitting on the lamp post outside her office building. Were these just manifestations of her mind? The owl certainly wasn't, because she had seen numerous people watch it and take pictures of it…

All night Sarah sat on her plush red sofa sipping coffee and wondering what she should do with the book. She wanted to pass it to a girl, but she also didn't want an outsider to have it. She could wait for when she had a family of her own…but it might be another ten years before that happens, and she couldn't keep the book any longer. If she got rid of it, she would stop thinking about Jareth, and then, just maybe, she would be happy again.

Pretty soon it was five o'clock and the morning news was on. The weather report called for snow the next couple of weeks, and a tiny thought jumped in the back of Sarah's mind "Might have to light the fireplace…"

"The fireplace! Of course…I'll burn the book." Sarah jumped up to turn on her gas fireplace. "It may not be a real fireplace, but it creates a real fire." Quickly she retrieved the book from her room and tossed it into the flames. Somehow watching what used to be her most prized possession burn into nothing made it unbearable to watch. She left the room to change her clothes, and stayed in her bedroom until she was sure sufficient time had passed for the book to burn completely.

However, when she returned to the fireplace, she was horrified to discover the fire had gone out, and the book was lying there, completely unharmed.

"What the hell is going on here," she whispered, as she delicately picked up the book. Not even the velvet cover was scorched. Obviously this book had some magic in it too.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Labyrinth, Jareth sat solemnly on his throne as one by one the subjects of his kingdom came pouring through the front door demanding to know what had just happened and whether or not he even knew what they were talking about. But he had felt it too. It was as if the heat from a hundred suns ignited his kingdom in blistering madness, but only for an instant before everything was as it was before. He had also felt something the others could not feel. Confusion followed by an ominous hatred. They could only have come from one source.

"I'm not sure exactly what has happened, but I can tell you, that it was caused by a certain young lady," his voice carried over all of the others, immediately causing them to shut up. "And I can assure you, she will be dealt with."


	3. Chapter Two: New Life?

Chapter Two: New Life?

Sarah shivered and shook the snow from her hair as she entered the building. She wasn't sure if this was the correct course of action, but she was desperate now. Seeing that book lying in the bottom of the fireplace, completely unharmed, chilled her very soul. Immediate action had to be taken. There was a toy and book drive for less fortunate children every year during the holidays, and the city's public library hosted it. Today was the final day to donate before the bins would be taken to City Hall to be sorted and the toys distributed.

It was so early in the morning that only a few librarians were there, so she had privacy in which to say her final goodbye. Sarah pulled the book out from her fur coat, caressing its leather cover one last time. "I'm sorry," she whispered against it, before tossing it into the book bin. Quickly she left without glancing back. Outside the snow had stopped momentarily and the sun had started peeking through the buildings. It was going to be a beautiful day. The first day of Sarah's new life.

Later in the morning, Sarah found herself entering the law offices of Paris & Stewart, where she worked as a secretary for Mr. Thomas Lee Paris and Mr. Jonathan James Stewart, two of the most successful defense attorneys in the city. While most people would strive to achieve more working in a law firm, Sarah was quite content just being a secretary and assistant. It paid fairly well, and the work wasn't bad either. All she had to do was bring her bosses their morning coffee and bagel, answer phones, make appointments, file paperwork, mail various items to prosecutors, judges, and clients, and type memos. Today, however, there was to be none of that work because it was the annual Holiday party, held between Hanukkah and Christmas. Traditionally the party began whenever people started showing up and ended sometime after midnight. Of course, as soon as Sarah walked in, she was nominated as president for the decorating committee. Sarah would have a terribly long day ahead of her.

It was late in the evening and the party wasn't even half over. Sarah was absolutely dog tired. She had been running on empty the whole day, and now she being forced to stay by her bosses.

"Mr. Paris, please, I'm exhausted, couldn't I just…"

"Nonsense! Now you know I can't let you leave until that boyfriend of your's shows up."

"Boyfriend! Sir, Eric is _not_ my boyfriend!" Sarah slammed her glass of punch onto the nearby desk, infuriated that her boss of all people knew about her and Eric. Eric was a prosecuting attorney in a rival law firm that was down at the other end of the street. When Sarah first started working at Paris & Stewart, Eric only made an appearance whenever his law firm was in a trial against hers. But then their eyes met while sorting out complicated legal documents, and he had been coming to the office every week since then, with no particular reason.

If Sarah could have chosen a Prince Charming or Knight in Shining Armor, Eric would have been the one. Unfortunately for her, he was married. Eric was the most wonderful man she had ever met; possibly one she'd be content in spending her life with, but all he seemed to be looking for was a mistress. He refused to divorce his wife. Sarah never technically had a relationship with Eric, they had never gone out, but they had talked quite a lot in the last year and hesitantly kissed a few times. But quite frankly the man had broken what little of her heart she had given to him when he said three weeks ago that he wouldn't divorce his wife and she 'had to get used to it'. And now her boss was going to force her to stay here all night until that man showed up, and no doubt that he would as it was tradition to invite rival law firms.

"Mr. Paris, I don't care what you say, I am not staying here." Sarah grabbed her purse off her desk and made for the exit, when suddenly Mr. Stewart came out of nowhere and blocked her path.

"Sarah! There you are! Listen, I'd like you to meet this…rather remarkable man I just met," the old man shouted over the music before pulling over another man who was speaking to some others by the punch bowl. "This is uh…sorry, what's your name again?"

"Everett Collins." The blond haired, blue eyed man extended his hand towards Sarah. "Pleased to meet you Miss…?"

"Williams. Sarah Williams. Very nice to meet you, Mr. Collins." Sarah politely shook his hand, noticing he was quite strong compared to his appearance.

"Mr. Collins is here from um…" Mr. Stewart interjected.

"Europe," Mr. Collins finished for him.

"Yes, Europe, and he's here to…what was it again?"

"I'm observing American law practices for my law firm back home. I heard this was the most successful firm in the city." He spoke rather quickly, and his expression was stoic, and to Sarah it seemed as if he had been saying that particular line numerous times already.

"Well you heard right," Sarah pretended to be enthused; "We've won seventy-two cases this year."

"It should have been seventy-three! If it weren't for that damned boyfriend of yours," Mr. Stewart drunkenly shouted before clasping his hand to his mouth and rushing to the restroom. Sarah rubbed her forehead in embarrassment before turning back to Mr. Collins, who looked very disappointed all of a sudden.

"Oh, I hope you don't get the wrong impression of Jonathan, he really is a well-to-do man, he just forgets who he's around during our parties."

"Quite alright Miss Williams," he replied coldly without even looking at her. Soon enough Mr. Paris walked over, having noticed the scene his partner made.

"I thought you were leaving Sarah. Who's your new friend?"

"Oh, Sir, this is Mr. Everett Collins. I'm sure he can tell you all about himself; I have to go home now. It was nice to meet you Mr. Collins." Both men simply nodded before moving away to the buffet table. Sarah pushed and shoved her way through the crowded office to the door, when suddenly Eric walked in.

"Oh, Sarah! I was just coming up to see you. Can we…talk somewhere private?"

"Erik, I really don't think that's a good idea. I need to go home anyway." Sarah tried to move past him but he grabbed her forearm.

"Come on Sarah, there's something important I want to tell you. Please? It'll only take a few minutes." The sincere puppy-dog look in his eyes wouldn't let Sarah refuse. She nodded, and he led her into an empty office. Once inside he closed the door and all the shades, turning and winking at Sarah. Outside, Mr. Collins, listening to Paris ramble about all the recent wins they've had, was the only one to notice the couple enter the office.

"Okay Eric, what's this about?" Sarah leaned stoically against the desk as he advanced on her.

"I'll just come out and say it Sarah. I want you. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever met, and I'll never be happy again if I can't have you." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Eric, for god's sake, I told you that we can't be together unless you divorce Veronica. Why can't you understand that?"

"I don't think you understand what I mean, Sarah. I want you. And I _always_ get what I want." Now Eric was uncomfortably close to her, her hands automatically going up against his chest as he moved in to kiss her.

"Please Eric, I know you, you won't do this. Go home to your wife." There was panic in Sarah's voice that only seemed to encourage him, and soon he was forcing himself upon her and she was powerless to stop him. She hit him and scratched him and tried to push him away, eventually making them both fall onto the floor, taking the objects on the desk with them. Something hit her head in the fall and she suddenly felt very weak. The whole situation seemed unreal to Sarah, and she didn't know what to do. None of the retaliations she managed thwarted him and her weak cries could not be heard over the loud music in the lobby.

Suddenly the office door burst open so intensely that the window shattered, and in ran Mr. Collins to her rescue, punching Eric in the face as he stood. Eric hit the floor unconscious, pants around his knees. The people outside the office swarmed around the doorway and watched as the stranger gently pulled Sarah's skirt back down and asked her if she was alright. A strange expression came over her, and she fainted. The man picked her up and carried her out of the office. Before anyone could contemplate what had just happened, he was already taking her home.

When Sarah awoke, distressed and sweating, it took her a few minutes before it sunk in that she was in her bed, in her apartment. Perhaps it had all been a dream, and she had actually been allowed to go home during the party, she thought. With a loud thump she rolled onto the floor, her legs feeling too weak to stand. After a few seconds of massaging her temple until the room stopped spinning, Sarah noticed bruises on her arms and legs. As she stood to examine them better in the light, she heard a sigh from the doorway. Turning towards the sound, she saw the European man she had met at the party leaning against the doorframe, gazing at her with a fond smile.

"Sir, what are you…how did I…what happened?" He didn't answer. He just stood there watching her with a fond yet concerned look. "Wait a minute…you don't know where I live! What's going on here?" Panic set in and Sarah began searching for something to protect herself with. She was reaching for the drawer to her nightstand when the man appeared behind her and grabbed her wrist.

"I'm surprised you don't recognize me, Sarah."

"Let go of me!" Sarah struggled and beat against the man's chest, but he managed to catch her other wrist and shove her against the wall.

"If you don't calm down Sarah I may have to do something regrettable. And after your ordeal tonight, I don't want to hurt you." His grip loosened as she calmed down, but he still held her against the wall. She finally looked him in the eyes, and he allowed her to study him. When realization dawned upon her face, he let her go.

"What are you doing here," she whispered. Suddenly the man before her transformed into his true appearance and Sarah let out a small gasp.

"You know very well why I'm here." He began to advance on her again but she escaped and ran out of her room. "Where's the book Sarah?" His voice remained calm when he called after her. Sarah stopped in her living room, the memory suddenly coming back to her. 'He knows the book is gone…oh my god, what is he going to do to me?' Sarah leaned against the arm of the sofa, dizziness and panic overcoming her.

"I admit…" The suddenness of Jareth's voice behind her caused Sarah to yelp and fall over backwards onto the sofa, where Jareth happened to be sitting. She let out another shriek as she scrambled to sit up. "Are you alright?" he asked, as if she had gone crazy. Sarah blushed and straightened out her clothing, but she didn't answer. Jareth stared at her with a furrowed brow before continuing. "I admit that I had quite a sinister plan for you tonight, that's why I was at that party." He stretched his arms across the back of the sofa and gazed in the direction of Sarah's fireplace. "But after what that man tried to do to you…"

"You're not going to kill me?" she interrupted.

"Kill you? Honestly, Sarah, do you think I would do such a thing?" He turned to face her but she didn't meet his eyes. "You really thought I was here to kill you?" Sarah nodded. "Well, in case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm not going to kill you." He lifted his arms off the back of the sofa and charmed up a crystal, tossing it up and down in the air. "Getting to the point, where's the book Sarah?"

"I'm not going to tell you." Jareth looked awfully disappointed at her answer.

"Exactly eighteen hours ago, you did, or tried to do, something to the book. It distressed my subjects greatly."

"I tried to burn it. You're telling me you felt that?" Sarah forgot to think before she answered, and immediately regretted it.

"_You did what?_" The crystal disappeared and he rose from the sofa to stand in front of her.

"I tried to burn it…but it didn't work."

"_Where is it?_"

"I'll never tell." Sarah whispered, her eyes burning with defiance.

"Well, that's quite unfortunate. I'm afraid I'll have to take you with me then." As suddenly as it had come, all the light left Sarah's eyes, and Jareth's began to glow.

"What do you mean?"

"If you're not going to tell me where the book is so I can take it from you, the only way to keep it safe is to take you from the book. If you want to take anything with you I suggest you get it now."

"Wha…"

"No? Very well then." Jareth grabbed Sarah's hands and roughly pulled her too him, her body becoming flush with his. For several moments Sarah's mind was blank. The only thing that registered was that Jareth seemed terribly excited by this situation. Before she gained sense enough to struggle against his hold on her, they were already somewhere inside his castle in the center of the Labyrinth.

"This will be your room, for now." He pushed her away from him and she bumped into a canopied bed. Turning around to quickly survey her surroundings, she was almost horrified to see that this room seemed to have been furnished expressly for her. Everything was in her favorite colors, and had somehow managed to pull off a fusion of Renaissance and modern décor. It was exactly what she had always wanted.

"How long do you plan on keeping me here," Sarah's voice trembled.

"Forever, of course." Jareth began walking towards the door.

"What! But you can't do this!"

"I beg to differ, Sarah. I can do whatever I want." He closed the door behind him and Sarah heard it lock.

All over the Labyrinth, every living creature was awakened by a angered scream that seemed to echo throughout the kingdom. Hoggle got up out of his bed and walked outside his tiny hut. Gazing towards the castle, he immediately knew something was amiss. His senses told him a human woman was here, but he had not been informed of any visitors. 'Jareth really must've done it then,' he surmised. Quickly he dressed and gathered his things. Sarah would need him soon.


	4. Chapter Three: Rose

_About this chapter... I'm not entirely happy with it because I tried to write about something that I didn't know about and it just turned into this. Hopefully it's not too bad._

Chapter Three: Rose

In a small suburban home just outside the city, Rose Flores sat against her bedroom window, watching the snow fall. She was bundled up in a sweater and a blanket because her parents couldn't afford to turn the thermostat up in the winter time. Her little sister, Daisy, was sleeping in their shared bed. Rose wondered what it would be like for Daisy when January rolled around. All her friends would be talking about the trips they took and the gifts they got, and Daisy would have nothing to speak of. It had been easier for Rose when she was little, her parents weren't so 'down on their luck' then. She sighed and turned back towards the window. Dawn would peak over the houses in a little while, and Rose didn't want to miss it. Somehow it always made her feel better about the day ahead.

Rose was in charge of waking her parents up at six for them to go to work. They didn't have any alarm clocks anymore, and Rose was always awake by four anyway. She poured herself some cereal and offered to get her parents something but they declined and said they would get something at work where they didn't have to pay for it. That was usually what they said every time. Her father read the paper while he drank his coffee, and her mother rushed to put her make-up on and find her other shoe. It was like this every morning. Her father remained cool and collected while her mother freaked out.

Her father was a security guard for an office building in the city and he managed to make deals with a lot of the people that came through the doors, 'you give me this and I'll let you through without the mandatory search'. That was generally how he got his breakfast and lunch, and how he kept Rose stocked with school supplies.

Her mother was a maid for a high end hotel and had the head chef convinced she was in love with him, and that was how she scored her breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner. Rose's father had no problem with this tactic. Her mother also stole from the hotel guests. She only took things from people who was passing through and only needed to stay a night or two. While they were out eating or at the pool, she would come and clean their rooms, but she would also go through their suitcases and find things that they obviously wouldn't need or even think to check for until they reached their destination. That was how Rose and her mother never had to buy feminine products or toothpaste, and they always had the latest fashion of jewelry. .

Yes, Rose's family was quite peculiar, but she loved them. Soon she would be graduating high school and getting a fulltime job to help out. College had never been a possibility. Neither of her parents had graduated high school, so Rose was lucky enough as it was.

Christmas arrived the next day and Rose woke at four in the morning like always. The night before, after Daisy had gone to bed, her parents asked her to watch for the mail man in the morning because something special was going to show up. They didn't tell her what it was, but she already knew. It made her feel slightly ashamed of her family. If the kids at school knew, half of them would pity her and other half would laugh.

Rose pulled on a sweater and shoes and walked outside. The snowing had stopped but it was still pretty cold. Peering through the darkness, she could see a truck driving up the street, stopping at one house down the way before pulling up in front of her driveway. A short man in a large Eskimo coat got out and rummaged in the back of the truck for a few minutes before bringing out a large box. He had some trouble carrying it but managed to bring it to Rose before dropping it. He placed it on the step, stretching his back and breathing a bit heavy.

"This is the Flores residence right?"

"Yeah." Rose bent to pick up the box, but found it was much too heavy for her. She motioned to him to help her.

"Oh! Of course." The man picked up the box and walked through the front door.

"You can put it on the table." Rose was stiff and unemotional. He placed the box gently on the table before tipping his hat to Rose and bidding her a Merry Christmas. She smiled and reciprocated the sentiment.

When he was gone, and the truck was well down the road, Rose opened the box. Inside, the gifts were already wrapped. There were several small ones and a couple large ones, and none of them had tags on them. Rose automatically decided that they would all go to Daisy. She placed them around the miniscule tree and took the cardboard box into the garage. An hour later, the sun was up and her parents trudged sleepily out of their bedroom.

"Did it arrive?" Her father began pouring coffee while her mom poured everyone cereal.

"Yeah, I put them around the tree. And before you say anything, I want Daisy to have everything."

"Oh, hija." Her mom quickly pulled her into a hug and Rose rolled her eyes.

"It's no big deal mom, I'm sure that none of it is suitable for an eighteen year old."

"You're not eighteen yet." Her mom handed her a bowl of cereal.

"But I will be in a week. Anyway, I'll help Daisy open everything but I'm not keeping any of it." Daisy came out of her room just then and gasped when she saw the gifts under the tree.

"Can I open them now," she squealed. Her parents nodded and Rose went over to help. The first box was a Dora the Explorer back pack. Rose shot a look at her parents; Daisy had wanted one for sometime now, and Rose was sure that the people at the foundation didn't know that. Her mother shrugged and her father looked at the ceiling. The other presents went quickly and all the wrapping paper was tossed unceremoniously out in the trash. Rose stood up and began taking all of Daisy's new things into their room.

"Hey wait, there's one left." Daisy crawled to the back of the tree and picked up a rather small and thin gift wrapped in plain red paper with a gold bow. Unlike all the others, Daisy unwrapped this one rather carefully. She pulled the object out of the paper and looked it over. "Ugh, it's just a book. You can have it Rose." Daisy jumped up and handed the book to Rose before going to the table to eat her cereal.

Rose dumped all of the gifts on the bed before examining the book. It was bound in red leather and looked rather old. She opened the front cover and flipped the first few pages. There was no copyright and publishing information, nothing about the author, no dedication, nothing. There was simply the story. She closed the book and fingered the fading gold-leather of the title.

"The Labyrinth…" Rose felt a chill when she said the title, and thought she saw something sparkling out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked around, she saw nothing. "Huh." Rose threw the book in her desk drawer before returning to the kitchen.


	5. Chapter Four: A Gift and A Question

_Thanks to Aliano, notwritten, and aeenc._

Chapter Four: A Gift and A Question

When Jareth locked her in, all she could do was scream and pound on the door in futility. After a couple hours of this, her voice was hoarse and her hands were bruised. When it became apparent to her that no one was going to answer her cries, Sarah walked over to the bed and examined it more closely. The posts of it had carvings of goblins and other Labyrinthine creatures all over it. Her eyes wandered to the bedspread, red as blood with intricate designs in gold thread. The sheets beneath were black, as well as the pillows. Her gaze continued up to the headboard, and she was aghast to see the carvings were of men and women in lewd acts. Disgusted, she wrenched the sheet out from under the cover and flung it over the headboard.

Continuing her exploration, she noticed that all the furniture was made of a very dark wood that she didn't recognize and it all had ornate carvings of goblins. There was a bookcase, a desk and chair, a wardrobe, and a settee. Moving towards the book case, she noticed that all her favorite books and books she had been planning on reading were on the shelves, as well as a few purely decorative items that, while entirely modern, seemed to go well with the bookcase. It was the same way with the entire room. The furniture was antique in nature, but everything else seemed like it was bought yesterday. She had wanted a room like this, and had been planning on it for sometime.

It occurred to her after examining the room, that there were no lamps, yet the room was very well light. There was no window to speak of either. Closer inspection revealed that the walls themselves seemed to glow. Sarah shuddered and crossed her arms. The room disturbed her more the longer she was in it. She could think of nothing else to do but to try and sleep. Crawling onto the bed with ease, she let the curtains of the canopied bed out of their ties, and was pleased to see they blocked all the light from the room. The sheets and cover were made of a material Sarah didn't recognize. It was as soft as silk but breathed like cotton and had sheen to it like satin. Soon after she had settled into the bed, a strong smell of soothing lavender became very apparent in the room, and helped her drift into a slumber that was as peaceful as this strange situation would allow.

Meanwhile, Jareth lounged in his room and watched her through a crystal. Night was always his favorite time, as it was quiet and peaceful and he could finally be alone. When Sarah slipped into the bed, he was immensely pleased, and created a lavender vapor in the room to help her sleep. He had prepared for her to be more difficult, but she was obviously too exhausted to put up any more resistance than she did. Just as he cast away the crystal, he heard a knock on his door.

"Enter." The door opened slowly and a timid young servant girl peeked from behind it.

"The dwarf Hoggle is requesting an audience, Your Majesty." The girl bowed deeply and held herself there as he walked out past her. Upon entering his throne room, he saw the dwarf standing in the middle of it, looking quite tired, but determined.

"How dare you bother me at this time of night," Jareth said sharply before coming to stand in front of his throne.

"I know that she's here. Matter o' fact, the whole Labyrinth knows she's here."

"Your point is?" Jareth's tone regained its familiar regality that Hoggle always cringed at. But Hoggle meant business right now and straightened himself up.

"I want to see her in the morning."

"And why exactly should I let you?" Jareth's arms came to cross over his chest as he looked down at the dwarf who had the audacity to demand something from him.

"I know that ya plan on keepin' her here for a quiet a while. And she doesn't know everything she needs to know in order to live here, and I believe I'm the best for the job."

"I've already chosen someone to educate her, what makes you think you could do any better?"

"She knows me. It would be bad for her to be taught by someone she doesn't know, and you know that." Hoggle's words hung in the air while Jareth thought for quiet sometime. Hoggle shifted his feet and pretended to be interesting in something under his fingernail before Jareth nodded in acquiescence.

"Sarah would be lost if I left her in the care of a stranger. I suppose you are right. You can see her in the morning and inform her of the situation. Faydra will show you to a room you may use." The young servant stepped out from seemingly nowhere and bid Hoggle to follow her. After they left, Jareth peered in on Sarah again to find that she was dreaming. Many a night he had slipped into her dreams with a master's expertise. Tonight would be no different.

Sarah knew she was dreaming. She didn't seem to know why she knew, though, as she had never been this aware before. She was standing in the middle of the street back home in her city. It was snowing, and there was no one around. Looking down at herself, she found she was wearing the same clothes she had put on the morning of her abduction into the Labyrinth. Cautiously she reached into the inner pocket of the coat, to find that the book was there. Sarah pulled it out and looked up, suddenly finding herself in front of the library.

Jareth watched her from the shadows as Sarah played out that entire day in her dream. He watched as she went into the library with the book, and came out without it. He watched as she went to her office and decorated for the party. He only turned away when the scene of her attempted rape began to play out, except this time, he had not been there to save her, and the dream version of Eric walked out of the office with a smug grin on his face. Jareth entered and saw Sarah lying on the floor, naked and bleeding. He reached out to her, but she looked up, tears and hatred on her face, and the dream ended.

Sarah sat up; sweat beading on her temples and tears staining her cheeks. It took her several moments to realize she was on the cold stone floor of her room. The dream came tumbling back and she couldn't bare it, and immediately locked it away in her mind. After a time, she stood from the floor and rearranged the sheets on the bed as best as she could, wishing for a window so she would know if it was really morning or not. As she fluffed the pillows, a sudden abundance of light hit her in the face and she had to squint to see. Where a wall had been only moments ago, a window was now. It was a large window, with stained glass, just like she had pictured in her mind when she wished for it.

It didn't take her long to understand what was going on and she imagined a balcony with French doors instead of the window, and with a slight pop, what she wanted was there. Sarah rushed to the doors and flung them open, relishing the burst of cool air on her skin. For the first time in more than ten years, she saw the Labyrinth, in all its shimmering, golden glory, and she gasped at the beauty of it. The Labyrinth of her dreams was no comparison to the real thing. As she looked out, she could spot the places she had been on her journey ten years ago, the garbage dump, the bog, the forest. Straining her eyes, she could just barely see the lands beyond the Labyrinth, and wondered what was out there. Seeing the almost alien landscape however, made her wish to go home. She slumped in dissappointment when nothing happened.

"I see you've discovered the gift I have given you." Sarah flinched and turned around to see Jareth standing behind her, looking rather casual in his leather pants and white shirt that was open to his waist. Sarah's eyes were drawn to his pendent, which she had only just noticed he always seemed to be wearing. Looking up at his face, she blushed to see he was staring quite intently at her. She turned away.

"Gift? Do you mean how suddenly what I wish for comes true?"

"Yes. I thought it would make your stay here more… pleasant." Jareth's voice had taken on an uncharacteristic sound of compassion that angered Sarah.

"More pleasant, perhaps, but I still can't leave," she retorted harshly. "Why do you care how I feel anyway?" Sarah grasped the railing of the balcony in anger, hoping he would just leave her alone with her misery.

"I care because part of you wants me to." He stepped forward to stand beside her, placing his hand close to hers on the railing.

"That's a lie. I hate you," Sarah whispered without looking up. Jareth sighed and reached out to lift her face towards him, frowning when he saw tears welling at the corners of her eyes.

"I know that this is a difficult time for you." He wiped away the tears the fell and Sarah sniffled. "The man you loved tried to do something unspeakable, and then I brought you here against your will. I admit it might have been a mistake on my part, but what's done is done." He brushed her hair behind her ears before summoning up a crystal, and lifted her hand to give it to her. When Sarah looked down at the object in her hand, it had turned into a vial of pink liquid with an eye dropper in it.

"I don't understand…what is this?" She looked up to see that he had gone inside her room and was walking towards the door. She followed him and repeated her question.

"One drop of that in your left eye at night, and you won't be plagued by unpleasant dreams. Two drops, and you won't dream at all. It's your choice."

"Will it stop you from wandering around in my head all night?" Sarah asked. Jareth frowned and didn't answer.

"Faydra will be your attendant from now on." As he said so, he opened the door and the servant girl was standing just outside it with her head bowed, holding a tray laden with food. Jareth leaned towards her and whispered something before retreating down the hallway. Faydra entered the room and set the tray on the table before closing the door.

"His Majesty commands me to get my Lady ready for the day. I'll prepare a bath while you eat." Faydra opened a door that Sarah could have sworn was not there before, revealing a bathroom. Sarah went over to peek inside and saw that instead of a bath tub, there was pool the size of a jacuzzi in the floor.

"Lady Sarah, you really must eat." Faydra reappeared from the bathroom and ushered Sarah to the table. Sarah eyed the food that was neatly arranged on the tray, and cringed when she saw a peach sitting next to a plate of eggs and sausage.

"And if I refuse to?"

"My Lord is always watching…" Faydra lowered her voice to a whisper as she poured a glass of orange juice. "I am responsible for your well being, and if you do not eat, I will be punished."

"Punished? Would Jareth really do such a thing?" Sarah obediently picked up her fork and speared a sausage.

"My Lord has done so before."

"Why? What happened?"

"If My Lady wishes to know, I will tell her when His Majesty is not listening." Faydra looked to the bathroom and Sarah understood. She ate her breakfast, but hesitated when all that was left was the peach.

"I have to admit that I've never eaten a peach since the last time I was here." Sarah picked it up and turned it over in her hands.

"I promise it is not poisoned, I picked it myself this morning." Faydra smiled and returned to the bathroom to prepare the bath. Sarah cautiously bit into the peach, and when nothing happened, she ate it quickly and relished the taste. She wiped her mouth and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"So, Jareth isn't watching or listening to us in here?" Faydra nodded and pointed to a curtain near the door as she continued filling the pool and preparing the soaps and towels. Sarah went behind the curtain and began shedding her clothes, glad to be rid of them.

"You said that Jareth has punished you before, tell me about it."

"The bath is ready. My Lady may come out now, I will not look." Sarah stepped out and quickly got into the bath. Faydra turned back and grabbed something Sarah could only assume was shampoo, so she dunked underwater to wet her hair before turning her back to Faydra.

"Tell me about when Jareth punished you, Faydra. I want to know."

"The last time was many months ago. I forgot my place, and said something I shouldn't have. My Lord believed I was too bold, and he punished me for it." Faydra massaged shampoo into Sarah's hair and Sarah reveled the feeling of it, her eyes dropping and her head becoming lax. It took her several moments to remember the conversation at hand.

"What was your punishment?" The massage abruptly stopped and Sarah turned around to see Faydra lifting up her brown blouse to reveal her back. Sarah gasped and instinctively reached out to trace the scars. She counted ten cuts in all. "Oh Faydra…did he…?"

"No, he did not whip me. He doesn't need a whip to inflict such wounds. My Lord has many powers. These, and a night in an oubliette, were my punishment." She pulled her shirt back down and continued to wash Sarah's hair.

"What did you say that made him so angry?"

"It is not my place to say. You can ask him, but it is his choice to answer. You can rinse your hair now."

* * *

Rose sat quietly in her living room, reading her new book while Daisy was in the bath. Her parents were working today so it was relatively quiet in the house. Rose had gotten halfway through the book and was already a bit confused. In the beginning of the book, it said that the Goblin King had fallen in love with the young princess and given her special powers. Yet the character of the Goblin King seemed very sinister and there were instances in the book where he claimed to feel nothing for the girl and kept creating obstacles that halted her journey, and she never demonstrated that she had gotten any powers at all. 

"This doesn't make any sense," Rose mumbled to herself.

"What doesn't make sense?" Her sister walked out of the bathroom while still drying her hair off.

"Oh, it's this book. In the beginning, it says that the Goblin King had fallen in love with this young princess, but throughout the story, he keeps trying to stop her from reaching her goal. You wouldn't believe some of horrible things he says to her as well."

"Maybe he's testing her….ya know, like that movie we saw a couple days ago, where the guy made the girl go through a buncha stuff before he let her become queen…"

"Yeah that's what I thought too, but if that was the case, he wouldn't say some of terrible things to her that he did…he insults her, her family… I just don't get it."

"If you're so confused then skip to the end."

"No, that wouldn't be any good, I always regret doing that."

"Whatever. I'm going to watch T.V." Rose placed her book mark between the pages and placed it on the coffee table, where it lay forgotten for the rest of the day.


	6. Chapter Five: Lesson

_Thanks to Aliano, AvitarGirl, notwritten, aeenc, and Lunarain._

_This chapter contains some info that needs to be established for the rest of the story, and it may be a little confusing, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask._

* * *

Chapter Five: Lesson

After the bath, Sarah was toweling off behind the curtain when Faydra's hand appeared to the left, with a small red box in it. Sarah tied the towel around her body and stepped out from behind the curtain before taking it.

"What is it?" A tingling of dread began to crawl up Sarah's spine. She had seen boxes like these before. They often littered Karen's vanity, left from whenever Sarah's father bought a new ring or new earrings for Karen.

"My Lord bid me give it to you." Faydra motioned for Sarah to open it.

"Oh. He did, did he?" Sarah rolled her eyes, and prayed that what was inside wasn't what she thought it was. Carefully she lifted the lid off, and sighed when all she saw was shiny white cloth. She looked to Faydra, who only told her to continue, and began pulling on the fabric. But it wouldn't stop coming out. She had a good foot and a half out before she looked back at Faydra in confusion, but yet again she only told Sarah to continue. After much pulling and tugging and a couple of forceful yanks, the box fell to the floor and promptly disappeared, along with the pile of clothes she had been wearing when she arrived.

"It's a…dress." Sarah held the white garment up to herself, looking at it in the mirror that was the left wall of the bathroom. "It's a slutty dress."

"A what?" Faydra maneuvered over to see the dress for herself.

"Never mind. Does he really expect me to wear this?" Sarah held it out in front of her like it was contaminated. The dress was full length, but had a slit up the side that would probably reach her mid-thigh. On top of that, the top was a low cut corset with gold threading, and no straps.

"It's the only garment available for you right now; the rest of your new wardrobe isn't finished yet." Faydra took the dress from her and began unlacing the corset.

"But I never asked for new clothes…" Sarah stared at the dress for a little longer, and wished that it was a little less revealing, but nothing happened.

"Wait a minute. Jareth told me that whatever I wish for will come true, but I just wished the dress looked different and it didn't do anything."

"I'm sorry m'lady, but the dress was made to resist magic. You cannot change it, but it will protect you in case anyone tries to cast a spell upon you. Here, I'll help you put it on." Sarah sighed in defeat before taking the unlaced dress and stepping into it, pulling it up as high as the tight waistline would allow. As Faydra tightened the laces of the corset, Sarah studied the material of the dress, noticing it was almost the same as the fabric her sheets were made of, except much thinner and shinier. Suddenly Sarah yelped in pain and her hand flew out against the mirror to steady herself. "Too tight! Too tight!" she gasped

"Oh! I'm sorry m'lady, I didn't realize!" Sarah's pain was alleviated immediately, and she tested how deep she could breath.

"Well, as long as I don't do anything strenuous, I should be fine." Faydra tied a neat bow with the ends of the laces and stepped away so Sarah could check herself in the mirror.

"I almost forgot, here is your, ah, undergarment…and your shoes." She handed Sarah a pair of white slip on flats and a pair of lacey white panties that she blushed to be holding. Sarah snatched them quickly and slid them on before the shoes.

"I hope not all of my new clothes are like this," Sarah said loudly when they left the bathroom.

"If they are, I'll certainly have a thing or two to say to about it." Hoggle stood from the chair he had been sitting on for the last few minutes, and Sarah immediately rushed over to him, dropping to her knees to hug him properly.

"Hoggle! I thought I'd never see you again!" Suddenly the look of joy was replaced with confusion, and she pulled away from him to look into his eyes. "You stopped coming to see me. All of you. You just stopped, without a word. For six years I sat at my mirror, wondering why…" Sarah stood and moved away, stepping out onto the balcony, the memory of those first months of abandonment by her only friends coming to the forefront of her mind.

"I'm sorry Sarah, we wanted to visit, we really did…" Hoggle took his hat off and sat in the chair again. "But after Jareth found out what we were doing, he put a stop to it. He put us all back to our jobs and never allowed us to visit you again."

"Oh. I see." Sarah came in from the balcony closing the doors behind her. "He just likes to _control everything_, doesn't he?" She shouted at the ceiling, knowing Jareth would hear her. "He brings me here against my will, invades my dreams, orders me new clothes when I certainly _don't _want them, and now I hear about this!" Sarah began pacing angrily around the room, as she had naught else to do. Hoggle turned to Faydra, motioning her dismissal, and she promptly left, taking the silver breakfast tray with her.

"We need to talk Sarah," Hoggle said quietly. Sarah wasn't listening though; she was still pacing and mumbling to herself. "_Please_ sit down," he said loudly in an annoyed tone, rubbing his brow. Sarah turned towards him, somewhat surprised, and then sat on the edge of her bed.

"What's wrong?"

"The thing is Sarah…I don't know if he told you or not…Jareth plans on keeping you here in the Labyrinth. Forever."

"Yes, he did mention it." Sarah's eyes looked towards the ceiling and she crossed her arms.

"Well, if you're going to live here, there are certain things you need to learn. Our history, laws, customs and such…and I elected to teach you."

"I don't see how this is a 'we need to talk' sort of issue." Sarah said in an unintentionally mocking voice. "What I mean is, you speak as if this is bad news when it's the best thing I've heard since I got here."

"Well I haven't gotten to the part that may upset you. I talked to Jareth just before I came in earlier. He told me there was just one condition to me teaching you."

"Uh oh. Do I really want to know?" Sarah closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Jareth says that if you want me to teach you instead of the man he had hired in the first place…once a week, on a day of your choosing…"

"Oh, here it comes." Sarah threw her hands in the air in frustration.

"You have to spend the entire day with him. It'll be you and him, no one else. From dawn until midnight."

"_What!_"

"That's only if you want me to be the one to teach you. He said if you're 'absolutely appalled' by the idea, then he'll hire someone else, someone you don't know, and who, in my opinion, wouldn't really give a damn about you."

"So, it's either enduring one day a week with a man I abhor, or abandonment for god knows how long."

"So it would seem." Sarah paced the room once more while Hoggle sat staring at the floor and playing with the brim of his hat. To him it felt like an hour before Sarah finally answered.

"I suppose I'll have to accept the condition then. One day a week can't be very bad."

"Very well then." Hoggle jumped down from the chair and walked over to Sarah. "Now starts Lesson One." He tugged her down and whispered in her ear to do something.

"But won't he…"

"Don't worry about him, just do it." Sarah eyed him curiously before letting her gaze drift to nowhere in particular, and in an instant, they were standing outside the gates of the Labyrinth. The area that had looked completely dead the first time Sarah had been there was now beautiful and green and brimming with life. Fish swam in the pond, small creatures that resembled deer were darting in and out of the bushes, and tiny faeries were hovering around the flowers. Hoggle sat on a nearby stone bench while Sarah took the opportunity to look around.

"Jareth won't even notice we're gone. Not yet anyway. He's probably out on his morning constitutional by now," Hoggle said, checking his pocket watch before taking out a coin from his pocket and tossing it into the pond. Sarah snorted, scaring away a faerie who had landed on the flower Sarah was now holding.

"Morning constitutional? You've got to be joking." Hoggle shook his head. "Where does he go?"

"Oh he mostly takes a walk through the Labyrinth, or he goes horse back-riding on the beach that's beyond it, sometimes he even goes to the human world….really depends on his mood I suppose. Today, I'd say he's out on the beach." He watched Sarah as she contemplated this new information about a man she assumed was nothing more than a manipulative bastard. She shrugged after a little while but didn't say anything, choosing instead to wander around and pick flowers.

"Anyway, lesson one." Hoggle pulled a few flashcards and a large pair of glasses out of his coat pocket and slipped the glasses on before reading from the cards. "The Labyrinth, though it is huge and encompasses many areas of differing terrain and climate, is only one of many kingdoms in this realm, as well as this realm being just one of many. I believe in your world the realms are referred to as 'dimensions' or 'alternate universes'. As far as anyone knows, there are five realms. There's this realm, which is referred to by outsides as "The Underground" due to the dull light and the fact that you can't see the sun, which caused by weather related phenomena that I'm sure does not interest you. Then there is the human realm that is sometimes referred to as "The Aboveground" for obvious reasons. The other three realms have been shrouded in mystery since even before King Jareth was born. Everyone knows they exist, but only those who have high positions in society truly know what lies within each realm, as they are the only ones who can travel there."

"Has Jareth ever traveled to any of them?" Sarah asked softly, so as not to disturb a small chinchilla-like animal that had come out of its nest in the ground to investigate Sarah. Hoggle took the oversized glasses off and put them and cards back where he got them.

"I believe so, but it was many, many years ago, when I was just a child. He announced he was leaving to one of the Other Realms and would return shortly. A month went by and he finally came back, looking stricken and disturbed. Even during the short time I was his assistant in the castle, he refused to speak of the time he spent there."

"Hmm…why did we have to come out here for you to tell me this?" Sarah stood up from the ground and made a small growling sound when she noticed her dress had dirt all over it now.

"I assumed you'd be in need of some fresh air and space to really stretch your legs. Also I thought you might like to see how much this place has changed," Hoggle smiled and plucked a flower from the ground near the bench, handing it to Sarah who added it to her growing bouquet. "Anyway, Jareth gave you powers Sarah. Anything you wish for will come true. I'm sure he told you that he only just gave them to you, but he lied. He tends to do that. A lot."

"Why would he lie about something like that? And if he didn't give me the power just now…"

"He's trying to hide the truth from you."

"Truth about wh…"

"Never mind about that." Hoggle shook his head and Sarah looked confused. "You've always had the power, ever since you were young. But the little magic left in the human world is so incredibly weak that it couldn't support the amount your power needed, so it never worked."

"Is that why when I wished to go home, it didn't work?"

"Sort of. Travel between realms is complicated. For a being with very simple powers magic must be very strong in both realms. Long ago, the magic of the human world was just as strong as it is here, and travel was easily accomplished by everyone. But then, something happened and the magic there went away… Once that happened, no one but Jareth and the creatures of the Labyrinth could travel there, we're the only ones strong enough."

"If you can go between worlds, then you can take me home!" She rushed over to him and knelt before him hopefully.

"No, I can't," Hoggle said sadly. Sarah immediately stood and sat next to him.

"Why not?"

"Jareth controls us all. He can give powers, and he can take them away." Hoggle hung his head. "It's what I meant earlier, when you asked why we hadn't visited."

"Oh. I understand."

"Anyway, we'd better get back to the castle. If Jareth left when I think he did, he should be returning about now." In an instant they were back in Sarah's room. "I think that was a good first lesson, don't you?"

"Yes Hoggle, it was very good. Thank you." Sarah bent down, kissed his cheek, and stuck a blue flower in Hoggle's vest.

"Well, I think we'll pick this up tomorrow, I've got something really special planned. For now though, I've some shrubbery to attend to." With that, Hoggle left and Sarah was left to her own devices.


	7. Chapter Six: A Secret and a Beginning

Chapter Six: A Secret and a Beginning

Sarah looked around her room, wondering what to do now that she was alone. She was reluctant to leave it again, fearing that Jareth may become angry and punish her. A while ago, that thought would have seemed ludicrous to her, but after seeing the scars on Faydra's back earlier, anything could be possible. The bouquet she picked whilst outside had been placed in a vase she had wished up and added some much needed color to the room. It occurred to her that she could wish for more flowers, but then it wouldn't be as nice as picking them herself. She stood on her balcony for quite some time, simply staring out to the lands beyond the Labyrinth and wondering what the other kingdoms out there were like. Were they ruled by solitary, brooding kings like Jareth, by lonely queens, or happy couples? Sarah resigned herself to a long wait before she knew.

As she leaned heavily against the balcony railing, Sarah noticed that everything outside was still and subdued; the only sign of movement and sound at all in the Labyrinth were little birds twittering about, and a couple of faeries hovering about the vines that grew up the castle walls. She watched silently as a small bird with maroon feathers and black beak flew in and settled on the balcony railing. It looked at her, squawked, then to her disgust it snatched a tiny faerie, which had also flown close to Sarah, out of the air and ate it. It made a light twittering noise as if in enjoyment before it flew off. Nothing of interest happened after that, and Sarah grew bored quickly, deciding to just read a book. Selecting a thin one from her bookcase, she settled onto her bed. Almost an hour later, she was so immersed in her reading, Sarah didn't even notice the door open.

"How has your morning been?" Jareth approached the side of her bed, dressed more fully now then he had been earlier, and looking a little pale. He was staring at her again, studying her like she was an insect under a microscope. She hoped it was nothing more than the fact he had never seen her wearing something so revealing before. Sarah looked at him for only a few seconds before she shut her book, placing it under her pillow, and got off the bed from the other side. Faydra was waiting in the doorway holding a tray with Sarah's lunch on it.

"Thanks Faydra, you can put it on the table." Faydra did as she was told, bowed a bit shakily to Jareth, and left without saying a word. Sarah moved to the table to examine what she was supposed to eat, frowning when she saw yet again another peach. She stared at it for a second and smiled when it turned into an apple, just as she wanted. She looked up to see that Jareth was gazing angrily at Sarah's bouquet of flowers that she had placed on the desk, but when he turned back to her, his expression was stoic.

"How has your morning been?" Jareth repeated the question as if Sarah did not just completely ignore him the first time. He clasped his hands behind his back and took a few steps closer to her. Sarah bit into her apple, taking her time in chewing and swallowing before acknowledging Jareth's question.

"It's been interesting, I suppose. Learned a few things…but mostly it's caused me to have a lot more questions now than I did when this ridiculous situation began." She shot an angry look towards the man standing to her left. He wasn't looking at her anymore though, he was looking at the floor and she wondered if he was making a point in not looking at her, or if he really was that uncomfortable in her presence at that moment. She felt a little bothered at his contrasting behavior and appearance from that morning. But she didn't want to risk asking him. "Did you want something other than to ask how my day has been?"

"Oh. Yes." His hands moved to his hips and he turned away, walking slowly towards the door. "I'm sure Hoggle told you about my one condition."

"Yes." Sarah took a step closer to him, her voice rising. "And I hardly see why you would…"

"That doesn't matter," he snapped harshly over his shoulder. "What matters right now is what day you have chosen."

"Today is Friday right?"

"If you wish to recognize days in this world the way you do in yours, then yes, I suppose it would be Friday." He placed his hand on the doorknob, ready to leave as soon as she gave her answer.

"Sundays then. The day after tomorrow." She took another bite out of her apple and Jareth glanced at her.

"Very well. I'll leave the door unlocked from now on, but I ask that you don't go beyond the Goblin city without supervision." Sarah nearly choked on her bite of apple.

"You mean…you're actually going to let me wander wherever I please?"

"Yes. Within reason. Is there a problem with that?"

"No of course not! It's just not the sort of thing one expects while being held captive."

"I can assure you Sarah, you are not being held 'captive'," he said. "But it can be arranged, if you wish." Sarah made a face at him and took another bite out of her apple. Jareth flashed her an amused smile and left.

Sarah waited until she was done eating her lunch before throwing the door open unceremoniously and looking both ways down the hallway. The walls were made of the same glowing stone that her room was and there were no windows to be seen. She stepped out, leaving the door open. First she peered left, then right, and stood thinking, wondering which way to go first. Suddenly a tiny little goblin with an oversized shirt came scurrying up from the left, carrying a strange, grubby looking little package in front of him. He ran right into her foot.

"Oh, excuse me!" The goblin looked up and gasped. "Oh I'm so sorry Lady Sarah! Please forgive me!" Sarah gaped when he threw the package aside and started kissing her shoe.

"Please don't do that," she sighed, leaning down and picking him up. He was so tiny that he fit in the palm of her hand. "Now, can you tell me what's in each direction?"

"Oh, of course Lady Sarah! The left goes down the tower into the main hall, where there are three hallways. One hallway is for the servants that leads to the kitchens and the laundry and whatnot, the walls down that one are painted blue, so everyone knows its servants only down there. The second hallway leads to the throne room and the castle gates, and the third hallway leads to His Majesty's private gardens." Sarah nodded, noting to check out those 'private gardens' soon. "Now to the right…that leads to another guest room as well as His Majesty's rooms at the top of the tower. There are many other rooms and passages throughout the castle, but they aren't of much importance anymore and most have been sealed off. However there is a secret passage….Here, I'll show you!" The little goblin jumped down from Sarah's hands and scampered along to the right

Sarah followed him until they reached the second guest room. She peered around the curving hallway to see that it ended in an ornately carved door. Right in the middle of it was a replica of the pendant that Jareth always wore. Sarah looked down at the little goblin who was staring at the wall near the guest room door and scratching his chin

"Ah ha! Here it is." He tapped on a brick that didn't seem to glow like the others. Suddenly bricks between the guest room and Jareth's room gave way to reveal a dark tunnel with a single torch hanging near the entrance.

"What the hell was that?!" The little goblin laughed as Sarah cautiously stuck her head inside but was unable to see anything.

"This passage leads to a very special place. It goes straight underground. But I don't want to spoil it for you. I'd recommend going at night and also to wear something that would keep you warm."

"If it goes straight down," Sarah said, as she stepped a little farther into the tunnel, still unable to see anything, "that means that it's a straight drop…but that's impossible…" The little goblin pulled the hem of Sarah's dress to get her out of the tunnel before he tapped the non-glowing brick again and the wall closed up.

"Thanks…uh…" Sarah had to tear her mind away from the thought of a freefall through a pitch black tunnel before she could think properly. "What's your name?"

"Oh! The Lady wishes to know _my _name!" The goblin clasped his hands together and sighed like it was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. "It's Rodney, my Lady." The goblin bowed proudly to Sarah before grabbing his discarded package from earlier and running up to Jareth's door. Sarah watched as he knocked on it, flashing a big grin back to Sarah. The door seemed to swing open without the aid of a person behind it, and Rodney ran inside. Sarah made a mental note of the non-glowing brick and decided to wait until she knew more before returning.

As she descended the spiraling tower, another goblin, this one much larger and carrying another sad looking package, passed her and then immediately began begging for forgiveness when he accidentally stepped on the train of her dress. She told him it was alright and he quickly continued on his way up the stairs. Nearly the same exact thing happened several times on her exploration of the castle. On top of all the bowing and every goblin and servant referring to her as "Lady Sarah", it seemed like every single goblin she encountered was carrying a package of some sort. Some were large, some small. Some were horribly wrapped in plain brown paper, and others were ornately decorated with bows and frills and shiny things. Sarah had tried asking a few of the women she found cleaning the throne room what was up with the packages, but all they could say was that His Majesty Jareth had forbade them to speak of it to anyone, especially her. It left Sarah wondering if it had anything to do with the way Jareth had treated her earlier.

* * *

It was late in the evening, the sun had set and it was raining outside. Both her parents were working until midnight and Rose had sought refuge from Daisy's sugar-induced playing and gallivanting throughout the house on her back porch, reading her book under cover of the awning and by the light that emanated from inside the house. She was close to the end; it was only two chapters away. At the current point she was at, the Goblin King had forced one of his minions to poison the young princess, who fell into a deep sleep in a forest, only to awaken to find herself in a ball room. Rose gazed ahead to the next page and immediately noticed the word 'kiss', and as much as she wanted to skip ahead, she went back to her spot. However, before she could start reading again, her sister Daisy burst outside and yelled that Meerkat Manor was on television and demanded Rose to come in and watch it with her. Rose glanced angrily at Daisy, who only poked her tongue out and told her to come inside again. With an annoyed roll of her eyes, Rose went inside and threw her book into her room before settling on the couch with Daisy to watch one of their favorite shows.

A few hours later, Daisy was asleep and Rose was clearing up the living room of all the various things Daisy had left sitting about. A few times Rose cursed under her breath upon finding objects that she had told Daisy to take care of earlier in the day. She bent down to pick up an overturned Lego bucket and had to hold back a shout of anger when she saw her book lying there, wet and stained with what appeared to be milk. She cursed a few times and wondered how Daisy could have gotten her hands on the book and then spilled milk on it without Rose noticing. Holding it by the back cover, Rose carried the book into the kitchen and dropped it into the sink. She grabbed a dishcloth and started wiping and dabbing at the pages.

"I wish the goblins would come take her away. Then I wouldn't have to clean up after her anymore." Rose sighed and grimaced at the state of her book. "It'd be nice if goblins really did exist…" Rose gave up and wrapped the book in a towel to dry overnight. Sleepily she trudged into her room, changed into her pajamas, and dropped into bed. Eyes closed, she rolled over expecting there to be a body in her way, but there was nothing. She had rolled all the way over the other side of the bed and her little sister's sleeping form wasn't there. Rose snapped her eyes open and looked around. Daisy wasn't in the room. Her feet almost skidded across the floor as she rushed to search the house. But Daisy was gone.

"Okay, calm down, maybe she's just being stupid and hiding somewhere." Rose returned to her room and at on her bed, holding her head in her hands and thinking about the places in the house small enough for Daisy to hide in. She got a few ideas into her head, and made to get up to go look in those places. When she stood, however, there was a chest in front of her. She looked up and gasped at the man with wild blond hair and eyes that didn't match. He smiled at her and Rose startled, falling back onto the bed. She stared blankly at him until she saw the emblem on his clothing. It resembled a little doodle she found on one of the pages of the book.

"You him aren't you? The Goblin King?" He nodded, still smiling. "Where's Daisy?"

"You know very well where she is," he stated simply, hands on his hips and cape fluttering lightly around his legs.

"Please, bring her back, I didn't really mean it…"

"Oh you didn't?"

"I didn't! It was a passing remark… oh! This is impossible. It's just a book!" Rose clutched her head in confusion and closed her eyes tightly. At the mention of the book, Jareth's smile faded and his eyes glowed with anger. "Please bring her back! She must be terrified…" Rose's expression turned pleading and Jareth's anger lessened at the sight of tears welling in her eyes.

"Your sister is in my castle at the center of my Labyrinth." He turned and pointed out the bedroom window, and Rose peered around him to see a foreign landscape outside. It was curious and tempting and Rose couldn't help but stand up and move to Jareth's side to look out the window. She turned around to make sure she was still home, but behind her was now more of the same of what was in front of her. A tree was next to her, the bark and leaves glittered beneath the moonlight and oddly, there was a clock with thirteen numbers on it hanging from one of the branches.

"You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth," Jareth began, pointing at the clock, "and make it to my castle to reclaim your sister. If you fail, your sister will become one of us forever. The memories of her will be wiped from the minds of those who knew her, and the book you possess will be given back to its rightful owner." Rose didn't hear anything after the first sentence, she was too busy gaping at the expanse of the Labyrinth and how different it was from the description in the book. The book said the place felt dead, but what was in front of her now was fully alive and green and perhaps the most beautiful sight Rose had ever seen, especially in the light of a full moon. When she turned back to where Jareth had been standing, he was already gone. Rose wiped away her tears and shook off her shock of the situation and made her way down the hill toward the Labyrinth gate that stood open, almost as if it was waiting for her.


End file.
